Welcome to another addition of SmallGovCon’s week in review. While you might be on vacation (and feel free to wait to read this until you get back), the world of government contracting spins on.

In this week’s edition, there are some interesting updates including paying back wages to federal government contractors who were not paid during the government shutdown, merging OPM with the General Services Administration and the latest in space contracting.

Have a great weekend!

We hope you all enjoyed your Memorial Day Weekend. At the same time, our thoughts go out to to those affected by recent weather events, including a tornado that touched down just outside of Lawrence. While none of us at Koprince Law were directly affected by the tornado in Lawrence, many members of our community were. We thank the forecasters, first responders, and others who worked to warn us and are helping people rebuild after this event.

In this week’s roundup of recent news in the government contracting world, you can read some interesting items, including a study of how whistleblowers can reduce government fraud, government procurement innovations, and a request by the DOD to defend against cyber attacks.

Happy Memorial Day! Please take some time this weekend to remember those veterans who have sacrificed for our country.

And amidst the fun of kicking off summer this weekend, you can read up on some of the latest happenings in government contracting. In this Memorial Day edition of the SmallGovCon Week in Review, you can read about GSA’s new e-commerce platform, a new federal civilian cloud platform, and whether cyber security failures can lead to a false claims case.

This week finds Lawrence with temperatures reaching the 90s. The 7-year-olds that I coach at soccer found this to be a little too hot; too bad I don’t have the indoor air conditioned facility they were asking for. But fear not, readers, you can enjoy this week’s roundup of federal government contracting news in the comfort of your air-conditioned facilities.

And, for those in the region, we wanted to highlight an upcoming networking and learning opportunity. The Kansas PTAC will be hosting Mission Installation Contracting Command (MICC) – Ft. Leavenworth’s 2019 Industry Day at Johnson County Community College. This is a great opportunity to meet representatives from the MICC and the Fort Leavenworth Contracting Staff.

Read on for some interesting updates in the government contracting world, including how whistleblowers reduce fraud, updates on the government’s electronic procurement efforts, and the ongoing federal migration to the cloud (IT stuff, not a new type of floating living platform).

There are some exciting things going on this week. First off, Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms out there! And please give recognition to all the small businesses out there contributing to the vitality of our nation. You can buy your mother a gift at a local small business and knock out Mother’s Day and National Small Business Week in one fell swoop.

Before you head out for the weekend, take a look at some of the recent news in federal government contracting. Below, you can read about some of the impressive small businesses that were recognized this week, as well as read about how government contractors were affected by the government shutdown, important changes to how security clearances will be processed, and how the DoD is looking to modernize technology acquisitions. Enjoy!

Happy Friday, everyone! I’m back in the office after presenting at a HUBZone workshop sponsored by the Oklahoma Bid Assistance Network (Oklahoma’s PTAC). It was a great day, discussing HUBZone eligibility, compliance, and updates. For great events in your area, be sure to connect with your local PTAC!

Before we all head out for the weekend, let’s review the week in government contracting. In this edition of the Week In Review, we’ll look at efforts to speed up small business payments, the role of automation in government contracting, and more contractors behaving badly . . . .

Have a great weekend!